Brad Haddin took a stunning catch as India lost two wickets on the third morning of the third Test chasing Australia's huge first innings total in Melbourne on Sunday.
The veteran wicketkeeper, who missed a far easier chance off Cheteshwar Pujara late on Saturday, pulled off one of the catches of the series to dismiss the same batsman on the second ball of the day.
India were fighting hard on a flat MCG pitch and were 224 for three at lunch, trailing the home side's first innings 530 by 306 runs.
Virat Kohli, who scored twin centuries in the first Test in Adelaide, was unbeaten on 60 off 94 balls with Ajinkya Rahane not out 43 off 45 balls.
Kohli passed fifty for the third time in the series and the pair had shared in an unbroken partnership of 77.
Australia struck immediately with Haddin flinging himself to his right to take a spectacular acrobatic catch to dismiss Pujara on his overnight score of 25.
Pujara attempted to cut Ryan Harris only to get a thick edge for Haddin to dive across in front of Shane Watson at first slip to take a stunning catch.
There was a chilling moment as Murali Vijay on 63 turned his head to avoid a searing Mitchell Johnson bouncer and took a blow on the side of his helmet.
It was eerily reminiscent of the blow Australian batsman Phillip Hughes took when he was fatally struck by a similar delivery in a domestic game last month.
Vijay batted on but was out five runs later when he played an almost identical shot that led to Pujara's dismissal and was well caught by Shaun Marsh at first slip off Watson.
It was the fourth time in five innings that Vijay had passed 50 in the series.
Rahane gave a tough chance on eight when he got an outside edge off spinner Nathan Lyon that flew between the keeper and first slip to the boundary rope.
India are striving to win the Melbourne Test to stay alive in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
M.S. Dhoni's tourists trail 2-0 in the four-match series after defeats in Adelaide and Brisbane, and have not won at the MCG for 33 years.
Source: AFP